Gossip: Liverpool eye cut-price deal for ‘beautiful’ teenager
Insert your own joke here. But while Liverpool are after Brazil’s ‘little gem’, Chelsea are farming out two 30-somethings.
WILLIAN, WON’TIAN?
The gossip column figured it was a matter of time before Willian’s words in the latest Players’ Tribune article were skewed beyond all meaning and context. A few sentences stood out – describing Jose Mourinho as “one of” his best coaches, and stating that he does not wish to leave London – as baiting speculation from certain corners.
And so we go to The Sun, whose headline of ‘Willian eyes Spurs transfer for Mourinho reunion if Chelsea do not extend Brazilian’s contract’, and URL of ‘willian-spurs-mourinho-transfer-chelsea’, seem about right.
Do they have any extra insight? Some exclusive details to accompany the conjecture? Nope. Willian ‘dropped a huge hint’ by praising his old manager (who brought him to the Premier League and helped him win his first title), and suggesting the place he has lived for the last seven years, where his young daughters have grown up their entire lives, is his “second home”.
Willian’s contract expires this summer but the likelihood is that he will stay at Chelsea. He might go and have a medical at Tottenham for old time’s sake, but he’s not making that move.
OLIVIER! THE MUSICAL
Olivier Giroud seems an infinitely more likely Stamford Bridge departee this summer. And Calciomercato claim the Frenchman ‘continues to hope’ for Inter Milan to rescue him at some point.
The striker has also emerged as ‘a zero-cost operation’ for Juventus, because he’s good enough for two of the best sides in Italy but not a team clinging on to fourth place in England.
Giroud sees Inter as ‘an ideal destination’ as he wishes to work with Antonio Conte again. But the club will only reconsider their options from April onwards, having spent more than expected on signing Christian Eriksen. So for now, Giroud will have to feed off any scraps Frank Lampard can afford him.
TALLES ORDER
Staying with Calciomercato, there is news of a player with ‘a beautiful physique’ and ‘great agility’. They go as far as to describe Talles Magno as a ‘little gem baked by this real “talent factory” that is Rio de Janeiro’.
The 17-year-old is so good that ‘the scouts of some important European clubs are now a permanent presence at his matches’. Those sides include Juventus, Roma, Lazio and Liverpool, who ‘was the first to put it under observation’.
With Vasco da Gama ‘on the verge of an unprecedented financial crisis’, there is ‘an excellent opportunity’ for a possible cheap deal. The striker, nicknamed O Magico, has 18 months left on his current contract, can play across the front three and impressed during Brazil’s recent U17 World Cup victory, scoring twice in the first four games before succumbing to a hamstring injury.
Lyon and Real Madrid are also watching developments when it comes to a member of The Guardian’s next generation. There is no mention of a fee, but Liverpool have certainly been saving up.
Plus they already have four of the ten best Premier League Brazilians ever. And Jurgen Klopp bloody loves Arsenal’s 18-year-old Brazilian. It all makes perfect sense.
AND THE REST
Manchester City and Barcelona will have to pay in excess of 90m euros (£75m) for Inter Milan’s Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar, 25, this summer… Arsenal are considering triggering the £34m release clause in 24-year-old Bayer Leverkusen and Germany defender Jonathan Tah’s contract… Spanish wing-back Marcos Alonso remains a target for Inter Milan but Chelsea are set to raise their asking price for the 29-year-old… Inter are prepared to offer players to Verona as part of a deal for their Albania defender Marash Kumbulla, 20, who has also been linked with Liverpool… Real Madrid are monitoring highly rated Rennes and France Under-21 midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 17… Manchester United are said to have deemed a move for West Ham midfielder Kai Corbett, 17 – a triallist at Bristol City last month – to be too expensive… Bayern Munich’s German goalkeeper Christian Fruchtl, 20, turned down a move to Liverpool last year because he was not prepared to play a substitute role.
For some bizarre reason, the F365 Show was not cancelled after the pilot episode. So we’ll be back every Thursday with more irreverent nonsense intriguing insight. Subscribe here.